Texas Senator Sues Dallas Cowboys’ Dez Bryant

DALLAS (CN) – Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant trashed a suburban Dallas home he rented from attorney and State Sen. Royce West, costing $60,000 in repairs, West claims in court. West sued Bryant in Dallas County District Court on Friday. He says Bryant rented his 6,400 square foot, gated community home in DeSoto from September 2013 to January 2016. “The property, owned by Mr. West, also boasts a tennis court, swimming pool and gourmet kitchen,” the eight-page complaint states. “Under the lease, Mr. Bryant undertook to return the property to Mr. West in the same condition in which he received it, excepting normal wear and tear. When Mr. Bryant returned the property to Mr. West in February 2016, however, Mr. West found it in a state of serious disrepair: littered with trash and feces, missing blinds and shutters, with cracked windows and blackened carpeting. Mr. Bryant has been unwilling to accept responsibility for the damage, forcing Mr. West to file this suit.” West says the entire home had to be repainted, all flooring and carpeting had to be cleaned or replaced, as well as the replacement of lighting, ceiling fans, broken windows, doors, the gate and garage locks. He says heavy cleaning was necessary to clear the home of “distinct odors.” The senator attached several photographs of the damage to his complaint. They show several large, dark stains in the carpeting of the home, abandoned furniture, piles of trash and cracked windows. West says he received a response from Bryant’s counsel after his second attempt at collecting in May. “The letter implied that Mr. Bryant would seek to file a separate and unrelated lawsuit against Mr. West should Mr. West pursue collection of the costs of repair any further,” the complaint states. “The allegations made in the letter were vague, unfounded, and clearly intended as retaliatory.” West says he has been unable to lease the home out to someone else because of “the continuing repair work” for the damage. He seeks actual damages for breach of contract and promissory estoppel. He is represented by G. Michael Gruber with Gruber Elrod in Dallas. West has served in the Texas Senate since 1993, representing the 23rd Senatorial District in Dallas County. He previously represented Bryant in July 2012, when the football player was accused of physically attacking his mother, Angela. Mother and son later appeared at a press conference at West’s law office, telling reporters that a family disagreement did occur but that there was no “family violence.” No charges were filed against Bryant. West most recently made headlines by demanding action from Texas A&M University administrators after several minority high school students from Dallas were subjected to insults and racial slurs during a campus visit.